What did you do with your old college textbooks?

[Ivan Seeking]

Many years ago, as the internet was coming of age, I burned over 500 pounds of technical manuals. I realized I can look things up on the internet faster than I can find something in a technical manual. And just about anything I might need could be found online.

But letting go of my several shelves worth of college text and other science books is another matter. I can't bring myself to get rid of them but there is very little if anything I can't find online now. Books are heavy and a pain to move. I see no reason so keep them.

As one page said to the other, I am torn.

 

[berkeman]

I've kept some of my core EE textbooks, as well as other EE-related textbooks that I bought after school (for my work). I've kept a couple of my intro Physics textbooks, as well as all of my medic-related textbooks. I did get rid of my large collection of component databooks that I used in my EE work, since as you say that information is now very available online. I hung onto my TI digital logic databook (with the yellow cover) for a long time though, since it was the first such databook I ever owned (we were required to buy it in undergrad for my first digital logic class). It is gone now, though.

One of my current textbook shelves:

 

[jrmichler]

I've kept some of my core EE textbooks, as well as other EE-related textbooks that I bought after school (for my work). I've kept a couple of my intro Physics textbooks, as well as all of my medic-related textbooks. I did get rid of my large collection of component databooks that I used in my EE work, since as you say that information is now very available online.

Same here, except ME.

 

[fresh_42]

I still use them. When I have a book, I prefer looking things up there rather than searching the internet. I have gathered many original files from the internet: Newton (Latin and English), Gauß, Einstein, Noether, and a couple more. I am a gatherer, and having those historical documents is a nice opportunity in modern times. When I look at my shelves, I see piled books and dozens of bookmarks lurking. I assume that many of them stem from insight articles I wrote. I even have some very old books I once saved from being destroyed. One of them is titled Textbook of Theoretical Physics from 1945. Well, I think it is too old to look things up, but I can't throw away books. And they are meanwhile too used to selling them.

 

[fresh_42]

Same here, except ME.
View attachment 366809

My "like" was for Garfield, of course!

 

[nsaspook]

My youngest girl is in her last year of CS and physics, so she's using some of my old books for class background and reorganizing my collection.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

View attachment 366874

View attachment 366876
View attachment 366877

My youngest girl is in her last year of CS and physics, so she's using some of my old books for class background and reorganizing my collection.

Have you been using that Chilton manual much lately?

 

[nsaspook]

Have you been using that Chilton manual much lately?

Sold the old Suburban, so no.

 

[JT Smith]

Mine went into a dumpster (literally) minus a small number I kept for sentimental reasons and the possibility that they would be useful later (they haven't been so far). Probably they have little if any market value. But if I had more space I would have kept them, just to have them.

 

[Dennis]

A small sample of what I have in my library of books.

 

[berkeman]

I hung onto my TI digital logic databook (with the yellow cover) for a long time though, since it was the first such databook I ever owned (we were required to buy it in undergrad for my first digital logic class). It is gone now, though.

Looks like @Dennis kept his...

 

[Frabjous]

View attachment 366876

One shot-one kill? I don’t recall seeing Assassination 101 in my course catalog.